parish questionnaire - mythic beasts · the questionnaire the questionnaire is presented in 3...

Parish

Questionnaire

Forward Together in Hope – Exploring the Way – Parish Questionnaire – May 2015 2

Forward Together in Hope – Parish Questionnaire

The Questionnaire The questionnaire is presented in 3 parts. Part A – A Picture of Our Community – provides the opportunity to gather, explore and present facts and figures about a wide range of facets of parish life. Part B – Reflective Questions – key questions under 10 main headings for open discussion by your parish community, and the opportunity to highlight existing good practice. Part C – Our Community’s Initial Thoughts and Ideas about the Future – where your parish community is asked to provide its first thoughts about how it might move forward. Ultimately, we would like all parishes to provide their final responses using an on-line questionnaire as this will allow us to collate and analyse responses efficiently – and we will be providing information later in the year about how to do this. However, while drafting and sharing your responses within the parish, you may find that the electronic version of the questionnaire (on the Exploring the Way Resources CD and on the Forward Together in Hope website) proves to be the best way of recording and storing your responses.

The Data Pack Accompanying the questionnaire is a data pack for each parish community. This contains summary information about your parish held centrally by the Diocese. It is hoped that by providing this information communities are spared at least some of the work of collating it at parish level.

We have used our best efforts to provide information and statistics that are accurate and up to date but no matter how carefully such information is checked, inevitably inaccuracies can creep in and we apologise in advance if this is the case. Please get in touch if you have any questions or if you have any comments or suggestions to make.

The Forward Together in Hope Team: Jim O’Keefe, Tony Sacco and Nancy Gash can be contacted on: Telephone: (0191) 243 3304 E-mail: [email protected]

This questionnaire provides a framework for each parish community in the Diocese to explore its vitality and future direction. The prayer, consultation and reflection that lead to your responses are of central importance to this whole process; the questionnaire is simply the document for systematically recording the outcomes of your deliberations. The accompanying document, Exploring the Way provides further background information and guidance.


Background Details

Name of parish:

Details of church(es) in the parish:

Church name Church address

St. Cuthbert’s Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HL

Key parish contacts:

Priest(s) Permanent Deacon(s) Forward Together in Hope

Contact(s)

fr. Benjamin Earl OP Margaret Doyle

fr. David Goodill OP

fr. Tony Rattigan OP

Details of main contact for this questionnaire:

Name: Margaret Doyle Address: 15 Allendale Road, Meadowfield Durham DH7 8XG

Telephone No: 0191 3783660

Email Address: [email protected]

St. Cuthbert’s and University, Durham


Part A – A Picture of Our Community Part A of the questionnaire takes respondents through the 10 main headings and requests detailed responses to a number of factual questions under each. Please note: The information in the data pack, unique to each parish, should prove useful when responding to some of the questions in this section. Specific references are made in the text where this is likely to be the case.

1.1 Please complete the grids below to indicate how the number of those worshipping in your parish community has changed since 1985. (See Section 1 of your parish data pack).

Mass attendance

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

575 465 435 354 401 390 413 342 343 362 358 340 341 347

Baptisms

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

10 11 10 5 6 8 6 6 8 15 15 18 9 1

Confirmations

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

1 4 23 1 4 10 8 14 9 6 9 26 6 3

Note: Confirmation figures for the last few years do not include our young

people who have been confirmed at Durham Martyrs following a joint

programme

Marriages

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

6 7 3 2 1 4 6 5 6 6 5 9 5 1

Receptions

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

1 4 4 1 4 4 4 8 9 2 3 4 1 2

1.2 Are you aware of any significant demographic changes (e.g. a large increase / decrease in the

overall population, an increase in the number of immigrants etc.) in your local area in the last

10 years that have impacted / will impact on your parish?

Yes No

1 The Christian Faithful


1.3 If Yes, please give a brief description of the changes and their impact on your parish community.

Brief description of change Impact or potential impact

Increase in size of the University The increasing number of students and staff at the University increases the population making use of the Chaplaincy.

1.4 Are you aware of other significant changes in the local area that are impacting / likely to impact upon your parish? (Examples could include: major housing developments, the closure of a large employer, the development of a new industrial estate, an increase in youth unemployment etc.)

Yes No

1.5 If Yes, please provide a brief description of the changes and their impact / potential impact on

your parish community as far as you are able.

Brief description of change Impact or potential impact

There are several building developments in Durham, increasing the housing in the city centre.

The main centres of population in Durham have been in Durham Martyrs parish, but several new developments are being built in the city centre.


1.6 Based on the most recent reported average mass attendance for your parish (see Section 1 of the data pack) please give an approximate age breakdown using the categories below.

Note: We are seeking a ‘best guess’ here - unless you feel that taking a more systematic / survey approach would be helpful to you.

Age range Approximate

number

0-10 19

11-18 15

19-25 148

26-49 59

50-70 81

Over 70 36

TOTAL 358

2.1 Please provide details about the leadership roles in your parish community (e.g. Permanent Deacons, Lay Leaders, Chair of Parish Pastoral Council, SVP President, Chair of Finance Committee, Head Teacher, Chair of Governors, Music Group Leader etc.) Please provide approximate numbers where possible.

Role Number

Chair of Parish Pastoral Council 1

Committee Chairs (Finance / Liturgy & Music / Building) 3

Roles on Diocesan groups (Liturgy Commission / Diocesan Church Music Association / Council of Laity)

4

Chair of Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe 1

Contacts for Safeguarding and Welfare 2

Youth Co-ordinators 2

Choir leader 1

Co-ordinator of stewards 1

Chaplaincy: Catholic Society Chair and vice-chair 2

Chaplaincy: Director of Music 1

2 Leadership


2.2 Please describe the situation in your community regarding a Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) or equivalent group.

No PPC or equivalent is in place (Go to Question 2.11)

A PPC or equivalent is in place but is having little or no impact on the parish community

A PPC or equivalent is in place and is having a significant impact on the parish

community

Note: We believe the PPC is having a moderate impact, but this option was not

available

2.3 Where a PPC or equivalent is in place, please indicate the year that it was established.

2.4 Where a PPC or equivalent is in place, does it have a written constitution? Yes No

2.5 Where a PPC or equivalent is in place, how frequently does it meet?

Monthly Every

2 months Every

4 months Every

6 months Annually Other

If other, please specify

2.6 What is the process for setting the agenda for the PPC or equivalent?

The agenda is agreed at the beginning of the meeting

The agenda is set at the previous meeting

The chair seeks items in advance

The chair determines the agenda

There is a standard agenda for every meeting

2.7 Who chairs the PPC or equivalent? Priest

Deacon

Lay person

Religious

2.8 How are people in the parish informed about the membership and work of the PPC or equivalent?

1975

All PPC meetings are open meetings, and all the parish is invited to attend. Meetings are announced in the bulletin, on the website, on the noticeboard and in the announcements after Mass. The agenda is made available before the meeting, and minutes are published on the noticeboard and on the website.

Glory be to the Father – in whom we live

and move and have our being.


2.9 Which parish(es) is / are represented on the PPC or equivalent?

2.10 What is the number and approximate age profile of members?

Age range Number

Under 40 1

40 -70 13

Over 70 4

TOTAL 18

2.11 Is there a Finance Committee in place in the parish? Yes No

2.12 If Yes, how frequently does it meet?

Monthly Every

2 months Every

4 months Every

6 months Annually Other

If other, please specify

2.13 What is the process for setting the agenda for the Finance Committee?

The agenda is agreed at the beginning of the meeting

The agenda is set at the previous meeting

The chair seeks items in advance

The chair determines the agenda

There is a standard agenda for every meeting

2.14 Who chairs the Finance Committee?

Priest Deacon Lay

Person Religious

The parish and the chaplaincy are represented at the meetings.

Quarterly


56

Glory be to the Son - whose name we bear and who calls each of us to be

his disciples;

2.15 How are people in the parish informed about the membership and work of the Finance Committee?

2.16 What is the number and approximate age profile of members?

Note: Section 3 of the accompanying data pack includes information about the number of people in your community whose ministries are subject to a DBS check and details of paid roles in parishes.

3.1 How many people in your parish community are registered for ministries that were subject to DBS (formerly CRB) checks in 2015?

3.2 How does this compare with the position in 2010?

3.3 Are there any paid workers for your parish community?

Yes No

If Yes, please provide details below.

Role Title Number Total hours

contracted per week

Cleaner 1 8

Parish secretary 1 18

There are regular reports of parish income throughout the year in the bulletin. This is supplemented by a report to the PPC giving an overview of the financial position, together with detail on any specific issues, which is minuted and made available to the parish. The chair of the Finance Committee speaks after Mass to provide an annual financial summary and when there are specific financial issues (such as the major fundraising required for the recent stonework project).

Age range Number

Under 40

40 -70 5

Over 70

TOTAL 5

The figures are relatively stable. The percentage of the parish who have been through DBS checks appears low, but is affected by the inclusion of the student population in the overall parish figure. Many of the students take on roles within the Chaplaincy community, but DBS checks are not required because of the nature of their roles.

3 Active Involvement of People


3.4 Please indicate approximately how many lay people in your parish, in the age categories shown, are involved with delivering parish / deanery programmes.

Role Under 40 40 - 70 Over 70 Total

Baptism preparation 1 1

Holy Communion preparation 2 2

Confirmation preparation 1 1

Marriage preparation 2 2

RCIA programme delivery 3 3

Other (please list these below)

Training for altar servers 1 1 2

3.5 Please list below other non-liturgical* lay voluntary roles that are present in your parish

community along with numbers in the age categories shown. Please think widely here (e.g. PPC members, church cleaners, welcomers, Finance Committee members, musicians, flower arrangers, gardeners etc.) *Note: Question 4.4 will ask for information about liturgical roles.

Role Under 40 40 - 70 Over 70 Total

Parish Pastoral Council 1 13 4 18

Finance Committee 5 5

Liturgy & Music Committee 4 2 6

Justice & Peace Group 2 5 1 8

Fundraising Committee 1 9 10

Building committee 4 1 5

Stewards 1 20 4 25

Flower arrangers 6 6

Gardeners 1 1 2

Coffee after Mass 3 3

Selling books & papers after Mass 2 2

Preparing Friday soup lunches 4 4

Altar Linen rota 4 4

Chaplaincy: Cathsoc committee 8 8

Chaplaincy: College reps 16 16


3.6 Please identify the full range of social activities that take place in the parish community along with their frequency (where relevant).

Social Activity Frequency

Parish room is open (swipe card access) for people to use facilities Daily

Coffee after Mass on Sunday Weekly

Shared table after celebrations (e.g. Carol Service, Easter Vigil)

Quiz night Annual

Film nights Occasional

Barbecue Annual

Parish dinner Annual

Friday soup lunches Monthly

Reading Group Bi-monthly

Chaplaincy: Cathsoc night Weekly

Chaplaincy: dinners 2/3 each term

Chaplaincy: breakfast club Weekly

Chaplaincy: end of year barbecue for students and alumni Annual

Chaplaincy : film night and quiz Each term

4.1 Please indicate the venues and times of masses currently celebrated each weekend.

4.2 Please provide details of any planned changes to these arrangements.

Venue Day Time

St. Cuthbert’s church (not a vigil Mass) Saturday 9.15 am

St. Cuthbert’s church Sunday 10.00 am

St. Cuthbert’s church Sunday 6.30 pm

None

4 Worship and Spiritual Life


4.3 Please provide details of other regular services celebrated in the parish community along with an indication of their frequency and venue.

Service Frequency Venue

Mass Daily St. Cuthbert’s church

Confessions Twice weekly, by appointment and

on call

St. Cuthbert’s church

Stations of the Cross Weekly during

Lent St. Cuthbert’s church

Chaplaincy: College Masses Twice each term University college chapels

4.4 Approximately how many lay people have specific roles in the planning, preparation and celebration of masses and other liturgies?

Contribution Number

Readers 19

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist 17

Funeral Assistants

Children’s Liturgy leaders 10

Altar Servers 10

Musicians / Choir 14

Leaders of Morning / Evening Prayer 2

Sacristans 2

Homily Preparation

Other, please specify below

Leaders of services (e.g. Stations of the Cross) 2

Welcomers 6

Liturgy and Music Committee 6

Preparing bidding prayer 1

Chaplaincy: Readers 30

Chaplaincy: Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist 9

Chaplaincy: Altar servers 4

Chaplaincy: Musicians / choir 16

Chaplaincy: welcomers 2

Chaplaincy: Preparation of liturgy 4


4.5 Please identify the range of other activities that contribute to the spiritual life of your parish community. Please think widely about the full range. (e.g. Prayer groups, Rosary groups, Parish Pilgrimages, Retreat Days, Accompanied Prayer etc.)

Group / Activity Frequency Venue

Retreat days Twice annually Parish room

Lauds and Vespers Daily Church

Cathsoc night talks & prayers Weekly Parish room

Chaplaincy: retreat Each term Various

Lectio Divina / Bible study Fortnightly Parish room

Adult Formation

5.1 Please identify the Adult Formation activities (offered by the parish, deanery or diocese) that people from your parish have participated in over the last 3 years. Where possible, please indicate the approximate number of people who have participated.

Adult Formation Activity Yes / No Approximate

Number

Catechist Training Programmes X

Eucharistic Ministry Training 5

Reader Training X

CCRS Courses X

Lenten Study Groups 40

Other Formation Activities (please list below)

Study days (parish) 40

RCIA open sessions / talks 25

Cathsoc night talks 25

Talks after Mass 30

5 Education and Continuing Formation


to build his Kingdom and to go out into the world

and bear its fruit.

5.2 Does your parish offer a Journey in Faith programme to support Catholics who wish to learn more about their faith?

Yes No

Young people in schools and their families Note: Section 5 of the accompanying data pack includes information that should assist with the completion of this section.

Catholic primary school(s) serving your parish

5.3 For each Catholic primary school serving your parish please complete the following information:

School Name: St. Godric’s, Durham

2007 2011 2014

Total no. of Pupils 201 209 212

% of Catholic Pupils 82.59 75.12 83.96

Total no. of Teachers 12 12 10

% of Catholic Teachers 75.00 91.67 80.00

5.4 Please describe briefly how the primary school(s) and the parish work together to prepare children for the sacraments.

5.5 How is / are the primary school(s) involved in the adult faith formation of the children’s parents?

5.6 Where a Parish Pastoral Council or equivalent exists is there representation from the Head Teacher(s) or other staff member?

Yes No

5.7 Where a Parish Pastoral Council or equivalent exists does the membership include school governors?

Yes No

For children who attend St. Godric’s school, sacramental preparation is carried out jointly with the school and with Durham Martyrs parish, and celebrations are likely to take place in Durham Martyrs parish. For those children who are in non-Catholic schools, preparation is carried out in the parish, by one of our catechists.

The school’s primary link is with Durham Martyrs parish. St. Cuthbert’s does not lead on any current initiatives working with the children’s parents.


5.8 Please describe how the primary school promotes links with the parish community and how the parish community promotes links with the school (e.g. Mini Vinnies, Fair Trade, joint social activities etc.)

Link Brief description

Example: Joint Social Events Termly joint fund-raising social events held in school hall

Rosary in school One of our parishioners goes into the school every Friday lunchtime to say the rosary with the children

Annual school Fair The event is publicised and promoted in the parish

5.9 Please give details of any joint parish / school celebrations of the Eucharist. Please include frequency and location.

5.10 Please give details of any joint school / parish non-Eucharistic celebrations. Please include frequency and location.

5.11 Please describe any ways in which the school and parish share their buildings and other resources. (e.g. Hall, meeting rooms, minibuses etc.)

Durham Martyrs parish leads on celebrations in the school

Durham Martyrs parish leads on celebrations in the school

None


Catholic Secondary (including Middle) school(s) serving your parish

5.12 For each Catholic secondary school serving your parish please provide the following information:

School Name: St. Leonard’s RC Comprehensive School

2007 2011 2014

Total no. of Pupils 1465 1400 1340

% of Catholic Pupils 84.10 78.57 73.13

Total no. of Teachers 92 101 101

% of Catholic Teachers 56.52 51.49 48.51

School Name:

2007 2011 2014

Total no. of Pupils

% of Catholic Pupils

Total no. of Teachers

% of Catholic Teachers

School Name:

2007 2011 2014

Total no. of Pupils

% of Catholic Pupils

Total no. of Teachers

% of Catholic Teachers

5.13 Please describe briefly how the secondary school(s) and the parish work together to prepare young people for the sacraments.

5.14 How is / are the secondary school(s) involved in the adult faith formation of the children’s parents? (Include any joint work with the parish).

The Confirmation programme is a joint programme between St. Cuthbert’s, Durham Martyrs and St. Leonard’s School. One of the catechists from St. Cuthbert’s supports the programme and acts as the point of contact for the children from St. Cuthbert’s

The school’s primary link is with Durham Martyrs parish. St. Cuthbert’s does not lead on any current initiatives working with the children’s parents St. Leonard’s lectures are aimed at parents and are advertised in the parish


5.15 Where a Parish Pastoral Council or equivalent exists is there any representation from the secondary school(s)?

Yes No

5.16 Please describe how the secondary school(s) promote links with the parish community and how the parish community promotes links with the school(s) (e.g. Fair Trade, John Paul II Award, joint outreach activities etc.)

Link Brief description

Example: Lenten Fundraising initiatives Joint fundraising effort between parish and school with a specific outreach cause identified each year.

St. Leonard’s newsletter Made available at the back of church

Fundraising and social events Publicised in the bulletin and on the noticeboard

John Paul II award Publicity both in the parish and in the school

Sixth formers going to University fr. Ben visits the school to talk to the sixth formers about university and about the role of the Chaplaincy

5.17 Please give details of any joint parish / secondary school celebrations of the Eucharist. Please include frequency and location.

5.18 Please give details of any joint parish / secondary school non-Eucharistic celebrations. Please include frequency and location.

5.19 Please describe any ways in which the school and parish share their buildings and other

resources. (e.g. Hall, meeting rooms, minibuses etc.)

fr. Ben and fr. David both go into the school to say Mass, twice a term to say tutor group Masses in the chapel, and also to welcome and leavers Masses in the hall.

None

None, though there might be interest in the university Chaplaincy sharing the school’s minibus


6.1 Does your parish / deanery offer a RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) programme? Yes No

6.2 If Yes, how often does this take place?

6.3 Please indicate any outreach activities that your parish is involved with in the local area (e.g. Food banks, Homeless projects, Asylum Seekers / Refugees, Prisoners / the families of prisoners, Drop-ins, Chaplaincy, Justice and Peace, Lourdes Youth etc.) Please indicate whether the parish makes a financial commitment.

Outreach activity Brief description Financial

Commitment (Yes / No)

Example: Elmwood Food Bank

10 parishioners are involved on the weekly rota for this ecumenical project across the Town. All parishioners are asked to contribute canned goods which are collected each week.

● ○

Justice & Peace Group

The group plans and co-ordinates activity on local and overseas projects, and raises awareness through the bulletin and the noticeboards

Collection for the Diocesan refugee project

We collect toilet rolls and biscuits for the project

Durham prisons

Support for the visitor centres. Several parishioners volunteer at the centres and we have an annual toy collection to support visiting children

Durham prison Fr. Tony is Prison Chaplain

North East Prison After Care Society (NEPACS)

Fundraising – we have selected NEPACS as the local charity for the parish to support because of our close links with the prisons

Miners’ Gala We provide catering during the annual event, providing hospitality for those who attend and fundraising for local and overseas projects

Lumiere We provide catering during this event, which happens every 2 years

Hallgarth Care Home The choir and the young people of the parish visit the nursing home, carol singing

Feeding the homeless A number of homeless people visit the presbytery and are provided with food and hot drinks

The programme is annual. The group meets weekly

6 Outreach


6.4 Please describe any active involvement your parish has in the cultural and political life of the local neighbourhood / district (e.g. local governance, social action, ward meetings, community forums etc.)

6.5 Please describe any links that the parish community has with other parts of the world. (e.g. CAFOD, MISSIO – Red Boxes, Aid to the Church in Need, Little Way Association, parish overseas projects etc.) Please indicate whether the parish makes a financial commitment.

Outreach activity Brief description Financial

Commitment (Yes / No)

Example: Kenya Project

A strong link has been in place for 10 years with Community in Kenya resulting in the development of various activities including a village-based water project and a chicken farming project for unemployed young people.

● ○

CAFOD The young people of the parish carry out regular fundraising to build a ‘virtual village’ by buying CAFOD gifts

MISSIO Red boxes are given out in the parish

Twin parish in India

For many years we have supported a parish in India, with financial support and visits from the parish. Due to changing circumstances in India, it has recently become impossible for us to guarantee that the money we send will arrive safely at its intended destination. After trying to resolve the problem for 2 years, we are now supporting a new overseas project via CAFOD

Fair Trade stall We have a Fair Trade stall at the back of church and profits are sent to CAFOD

Bob in a box We ask parishioners to collect 5p pieces in film canisters, and the proceeds are sent to CAFOD

6.6 During the past 12 months in what ways has the priest / deacon / religious engaged with other Christian faith leaders in the locality?

The Dominican Community is a member of the Elvet Residents’ Association, and attends when possible fr. Ben, fr. David and some lay members of the parish are members of Senior Common Rooms at the University colleges. fr. Ben has served on the university’s Student Support Advisory Group. fr. Ben is a member of the Academic Board and the Advisory Board of the Centre for Catholic Studies at the university. Seminars are advertised and attended by some members of the parish and the chaplaincy

fr. Ben works closely with the other university chaplains. He was Convener of Chaplains at the University, working to develop chaplaincy provision for the student community and to increase chaplaincy provision for the staff of the university too. fr. Ben is also a member of Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe.


6.7 During the past 12 months in what ways has the parish community engaged with other Christian communities in the locality? (Please include activities / services as part of Churches Together, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Joint acts of witness / shared worship, joint social activities and joint outreach activities.)

Activity Brief description

Example: Good Friday Walk of Witness

Around 70 people from all Christian denominations in the town walked behind a cross being carried between the churches concluding with prayer in the Town Centre.

Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe

Regular meetings

Lent talks

Christian Unity services

Social justice talks

Annual pilgrimage to Holy Island

Joint services for Christian Unity week

Churches Together in Durham

Good Friday walk of witness

New Year service in the Cathedral

Occasional events e.g. debate with

parliamentary candidates in the run

up to the election

Chaplaincy events with other Christian societies

Candlelit procession to the Cathedral

Joint pilgrimage / retreat to Holy

Island

Social events, e.g. football matches

6.8 Over the past 12 months in what ways has the parish community engaged with Faith communities other than Christians in the locality? Please include visits, talks, joint activities etc.


Example: Talk about the Jewish Passover Festival Well attended evening talk at St Michael’s Church with invitations to all Christian denominations in the area.

University Inter-faith forum fr. Ben and a number of students are members of the group

University Muslim Society Links between chaplaincy and the Muslim chaplain

Jewish Chaplaincy fr. Ben is mentor to the Jewish Chaplain.


6.9 In what ways does the parish publicise itself and its activities to the wider community locally?

(e.g. local media, posters in public buildings, website, leaflets etc.)

The church is open to visitors on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. We are also open on

Heritage Open Days, and we produce leaflets about the church building for visitors.

We open the church to provide refreshments at the annual Miners’ Gala and at events

such as Lumiere, and encourage people to come into church as well as to stop for

refreshments.

With the other churches in Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe, we produce cards

giving all the service times for Christmas and for Easter and these are distributed to

houses in the area.

We publicise Chaplaincy activity with a leaflet each term about the activities which are

planned, together with bookmarks and wristbands advertising the Chaplaincy. These are

given out at the back of church, in colleges and at university Societies Day during

Freshers’ Week.

We use the local press for particular events, including recent fundraising activity for the

stonework project.

We have a parish website and a University Chaplaincy website, and both have Facebook

pages. e-bulletins are available for parish news, and e-newsletters are produced for

Chaplaincy alumni as well as for current students

The parish is publicised on the website of the Dominicans and in ‘Friars Preachers’

magazine

The chaplaincy is publicised on Durham University’s website


Note: Section 7 of the parish data pack includes information about parish income, expenditure and Gift Aid.

7.1 With reference to the parish data pack please complete the details below.

a) Income and Expenditure

b) Surplus / deficit ignoring any extraordinary income or expenditure

NB. This represents income minus expenditure, ignoring any extraordinary income or expenditure, e.g. one-off legacy or significant property repairs, etc.

Please answer the following questions based on the information collected above.

7.2 Does the current annual income for the parish meet its annual expenditure? Yes No

7.3 How has the parish income changed since 2005?

£’s 2005 2009 2014

Income:

Offertory 40,923 48,265 47,270

Gift Aid 6,430 11,205 10,084

Donations 1,347 1,700 5,246

Other income 18,456 34,427 4,930

Total Income 67,156 95,597 67,530

Expenditure:

Property 22,455 28,489 9,267

Personnel 15,311 18,289 9,664

Other costs 17,318 62,692 27,918

Total Expenditure 55,084 109,470 46,849

Surplus / (Deficit) 12,072 (13,873) 20,681

£’s 2005 2009 2014

Surplus / (Deficit) 16,799 (5,464) 20,681

Change in accounting: Until 2007, the evening Mass was the Chaplaincy Mass and took place only during term time. The offertory was banked in the Chaplaincy account. Since the changes in Mass times, the evening Mass now takes place all year. The offertory is banked in the parish account and an annual transfer of funds to the Chaplaincy account takes place. The amount is reviewed regularly to ensure it reflects the current situation.

7 Finances


7.4 What are the major factors that have impacted upon parish income since 2005?

7.5 With reference to the data pack please provide the following information about parish balances:

£’s Amount at March

2005 Amount at March

2009 Amount at March

2014

Parish Deposit (or loan) 24,266 99,588 (38,176)

Parish Current Account 37,664 14,553 25,424

7.6 What is the percentage of people in the parish community who are signed up to Gift Aid?

7.7 What is the average offertory per head each week?

7.8 Please describe how parishioners are informed annually of the parish finances.

By verbal statement By a displayed written statement By each person receiving a written statement (e.g. in bulletin) Through a general meeting Other – please describe

7.9 Please describe any significant fundraising activities that are in place within the parish at present.

Purpose of fundraising Method(s) used

Example: To subsidise costs for young people going to Lourdes

Raffles and sponsored walk

Recently completed fundraising for a major stonework project

Applications for grants

Dinners and social events

Envelopes for additional regular giving

for a limited period of time

Sponsored events

Sale of tea towels and cards

Young people travelling to Peru as part of St. Leonard’s support for the Peru Project

Cake stalls

Young people offering help with

gardening, decorating, etc.

See also regular fundraising at 6.5

In those years when there has been major expenditure due to building projects, the income reflects the fundraising activity which has taken place and the generosity of parishioners in increasing their giving to meet the identified need.

21.1%

£2.67

As part of the Forward Together in Hope data, the financial statement has been published on the parish website


Glory be to the Holy Spirit –

pouring out grace and guidance, forming us and renewing us.

7.10 Please identify any factors (e.g. population shift, changes in local employment etc.) that will have a significant impact on the financial position of the parish over the next 5 years.

Factor Potential Impact

Continued expansion of the University

Increasing numbers of students as a percentage of our overall attendance impacts on the average giving and the percentage of people who gift aid, but may not impact significantly on actual income.

Increased links with Chaplaincy alumni Potential financial support / donations for the Chaplaincy

7.11 Please describe any expenditure (excluding property costs) of more than £15K per individual project, anticipated within the next 5 years.

Nature of Expenditure Anticipated Cost

Chaplaincy: fr. Ben’s workload as Chaplain is considerable and would be greatly assisted by a Chaplaincy assistant or intern

Not yet costed


8.1 Please provide information about the buildings associated with each church site within the

parish. (Note: Section 8 of the data pack will assist with some questions)

Parish Name Church Name Capacity

St. Cuthbert’s & University St. Cuthbert’s 200

In your opinion Very

Good Good Fair Poor

8.2 What is the overall state of repair of the Church?

8.3 What is the overall state of repair of the

Presbytery?

8.4 What is the overall state of repair of the Church

Hall?

Yes No

8.5 Is there a car park?

8.6 If Yes, how many parking spaces are there?

8.7 Is there a parish office?

8.8 Are there secure on-site storage facilities for confidential

documentation?

8.9 Is there an appointed Welfare Officer? 8.10 Are the following regular check-ups up to date: • Portable electrical appliances? • Gas safety 8.11 Are the following facilities available for people with disabilities? • Accessible toilets • Level access • Ramped access • Loop system

8.12 If any of the above provision is lacking are there plans in place to

improve the facilities?

8.13

If Yes, please elaborate:

8 Facilities

Note: Where there is more than one church within a parish, this section will need to be repeated for each church site. Additional copies of this section and the next (Section 9 – Geographic Distance) are available on the Resources CD and website. Please use as many of these as you require.


Inspire us all in the Diocese of

Hexham and Newcastle to live the Gospel,

8.14 Does the church have a cemetery? Yes No

8.15 If Yes, who has responsibility for its care?

8.16 Please identify any other land / property for which the parish is responsible. (e.g. Residential lettings etc.)

Property / Land Description

8.17 Please describe the meeting spaces that the church has and how many people they can accommodate.

Meeting Space No. of people

The parish / Chaplaincy room is used for meetings and events. It is also used as an overflow space when the church is full, e.g. at Easter, with a video link to the church

40

The dining room in the presbytery is also used for meetings 12

8.18 Is there a place for smaller weekday masses? Yes No

If Yes, please provide details

8.19 Does the community have property that is in excess of its requirements? Yes No

The cemetery, at Redhills, is closed and now in the care of the county council. It is in a state of disrepair.

The parish room is available for Mass if required, but our preferred option is to use the Church (and attendance at some weekday Masses is such that the parish room would not be big enough)


8.20 If Yes, please give details and any suggestions of ways to realise its potential.

Property / Land Details / Suggestions

8.21 Are your premises used by external groups / organisations?

Yes No

8.22 If Yes, please provide details of the nature and frequency of the activity and whether the organisation pays a hire charge.

Group Activity Frequency Hire charge

(Y / N)

Example: Scouts Pack Meeting Weekly during term time ● ○

Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe

Talks 4-5 a year

Lay Dominicans Meetings Occasional

University societies Meetings Occasional

University – Centre for Catholic Studies

Talks Occasional

Juventutem Meetings

Mass Fortnightly Occasional

8.23 Does the parish collaborate with other denominations locally regarding use of buildings?

Yes No

8.24 If Yes, please elaborate.

8.25 Do you anticipate any instances of expenditure on property (£5k or more on a single item / project) in the next 5 years?

Yes No

St. Cuthbert’s is the main venue for Churches Together events. In return, we are able to use larger facilities at St Oswald’s C of E and Elvet Methodist Church for social events where we need more capacity than is available in the parish room. The Chaplaincy also uses chapels and facilities in the university colleges for college Masses, and has access to meeting rooms and teaching space in University premises if required.


8.26 If Yes, please provide details.

Expenditure Anticipated Cost

Balustrade to choir loft (for Health & Safety reasons) £10k

Stonework to presbytery £60-70k

Lighting £20k

8.27 Please indicate the distances from the nearest primary and secondary schools to the church.

Name of school Distance

St. Godric’s Primary 2.2m

St. Leonard’s Comprehensive 1.5m

Parish Name Church Name

St. Cuthbert’s & University St. Cuthbert’s

9.1 How many miles is it by road to the nearest 3 Catholic churches from this church? (See data pack)

Church Name Distance

Our Lady of Mercy & St. Godric’s 0.6

St. Joseph’s 1.5

St. Patrick’s, Langley Moor 2.7

9.2 From which parish church was your parish originally founded?

St. Cuthbert’s is the oldest parish in Durham – the other parishes were founded from St. Cuthbert’s

9 Geographic Distance

Note: Where there is more than one church within a parish, this section will need to be repeated for each church site. Additional copies of this section and the previous one (Section 8 – Facilities) are available on the Resources CD and website. Please use as many of these as you require.


9.3 With which local parish / church communities does your parish have the strongest relationship(s)

9.4 Please describe any significant geographical obstacles between this church and other Catholic church(es) in your locality.

9.5 Based on the experience of your parishioners, how accessible is this church using public transport?

Easily Moderately With difficulty Not at all

Please elaborate.

9.6 Does the parish provide any regular transport to church services?

Yes No

9.7 If Yes, please explain.

Durham Martyrs Parish

None

The church is in the city centre and there are bus stops close by


to be open to change and to move

forward together in hope.

10.1 Please describe how work with young people is co-ordinated within your parish.

No co-ordination in place

Co-ordinated by the priest

Co-ordinated by a permanent deacon

Co-ordinated by a paid youth worker

Co-ordinated by a volunteer

Co-ordinated by a group of volunteers

Co-ordinated by the Parish Pastoral Council

Other (please describe)

10.2 What activities, opportunities or projects are currently in place specifically for young people in your parish?


Social events Film and pizza nights. The evenings start with the rosary and young people are encouraged to bring friends

Outreach

The young people have responsibility for fundraising for CAFOD, by collecting for the ‘Virtual Village’ and helping to run the Fair Trade stall

Altar Servers

Young people are encouraged to become servers. There are social events for servers, and recognition through the Guild of St. Stephen. As they get older, young people are encouraged to join the rota for other ministries such as reading and welcoming

Work with young people in the parish is co-ordinated by volunteers. Chaplaincy: fr. Ben is Catholic Chaplain to the University of Durham, and fr. David is Assistant Chaplain. The Chaplaincy has its own governance arrangements with separate accounting and management. The Chaplaincy is open to all students and staff at the university and uses the facilities at St. Cuthbert’s jointly with the parish. Activity is co-ordinated by the Chaplain with the help of the Catholic Society (CathSoc) committee and a network of CathSoc reps in the colleges. Chaplaincy activity is co-ordinated with the chaplains of other denominations and faiths, and there are links with other university chaplaincies in the North East and further afield.

10 Young People


John Paul II award Currently being launched in the parish

Chaplaincy: CathSoc night A weekly evening of prayer, discussion and a meal

Chaplaincy: dinners The opportunity to meet visiting preachers

Chaplaincy: retreats Every term, including an ecumenical pilgrimage / retreat to Holy Island

Chaplaincy: access to the parish room

Students have access to the parish room via swipe cards, and are able to use the premises for meeting friends, socialising and studying. This is particularly useful in offering support in the lead up to exams.

Chaplaincy: scholarships An organ scholarship, 4 choral scholarships and a library scholarship are available

10.3 How are young people involved in the wider planning / decision-making within the parish?

The young people in the parish are involved in deciding on activities, by the volunteer who co-ordinates activity, but are not currently represented on the Parish Pastoral Council. Chaplaincy: the students send a representative to the PPC, and also to the Justice & Peace Group and the Fundraising Committee. Chaplaincy activity is planned by the CathSoc committee, who produce a programme of events each term


10.4 Please describe the level of involvement that your parish has with opportunities provided by our Diocesan Youth Service (YMT) and other Diocesan opportunities for young people.

Activity Not

involved

Limited

involvement

Quite

involved

Very

involved

Area / School missions

programmes

The Source

Youth Retreats

Youth Council

Flame Events

World Youth Day

Youth Festivals

Adult Co-workers Group

John Paul II awards

Lourdes Pilgrimage – Youth

Section

Others – please specify:

The students and young people at St. Cuthbert’s have additional opportunities for

getting involved in the church beyond our parish as they have access to activities

provided by the Dominicans, e.g.:

The Dominican Youth Movement organises regular events and study days.

The Dominican Youth Movement has taken a group to Lourdes and will be taking a

group to World Youth Day

The Dominican Way is an annual walking pilgrimage for young people

Access to Dominican Trusts means that financial support may be available for those

who need assistance to take up opportunities

Thank you for completing Part A of the questionnaire. Part B is very different, encouraging more reflection and discussion.


Part B - Reflective Questions

When Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and called his first disciples (Mt 4:18), they must not have had a clue what they were getting into. Four fishermen became ‘apprentices’ to an itinerant leader, teacher and healer, overnight. In Mark’s Gospel (Mk 1:21) the first thing they did was to accompany Jesus into the Synagogue in Capernaum, where he proceeded to break the Jewish law by healing a possessed man on the Sabbath.

There is something exciting about being a disciple, an ‘apprentice’ of Jesus. There is so much to learn and discover. Jesus walked around the countryside with his followers, both women and men; they were a community, a community on the move. The disciples were formed and shaped within this community.

Once Jesus died and rose from the dead, the disciples were terrified. They ran away (to Emmaus) or hid in an upper room or reverted to their previous job – seven of them went back fishing. Time after time Jesus came among them and reassured them. They were totally taken over by the Holy Spirit and began their work as missionaries; they are instructed to go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel.

We live in a very different world today. But as a result of our Baptism, we are called, gifted and sent. We too are sent into the world. We are missionaries within our local population, disciples among all the residents in our neighbourhood.

The local priest looks after the already gathered flock. The flock, the rest of us, is immersed in the world; we engage with each other, with those hurt by the Church, those separated from the Church for whatever reason and those beyond the institution of the Church. Every one of us has a particular pathway of discipleship to follow, and many of us discover it through the communities within which we live.

It is only right that we pray for more men to respond to the call of God to become ordained priests; indeed there is a prayer for vocations to the Priesthood in the spirituality resources available with these documents. It is also true that we all need to explore how God is calling us to make a difference in the world we live in. This calling (or vocation) may be to marriage, parenthood, the single life, nursing, policing, taxi-driving, professional football or any mixture of any of those. God has an infinite imagination; there is a unique calling for each one of us. We become disciples when we learn to look at our world through the eyes of Jesus.

This questionnaire will help us to look at our community and discover how it can help each and every one of us become an apprentice of Jesus.

We have heard the facts and figures, the prospect of having 50 priests in our Diocese in 2030, the need for a wider variety of leadership in the Church and the very basic need to become more open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is leading us into the future.

Pope Francis gives us clear guidance when he says in Evangelii Gaudium (para 20): With this call in mind, let us begin to explore the questions before us.

Notes:

The accompanying Exploring the Way document contains suggestions for how you might go about consulting with members of your parish community on the questions in this section.

Please use a maximum of 250 words in response to each of the questions.

“Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the

Gospel”.


The Christian Faithful are the heart of every worshiping community. If it is to flourish, a community needs a core of members who are committed to the Gospel of Christ and are willing to make the community a priority, giving generously of their time, imagination, gifts and other resources. A viable parish needs a minimum of active members.

a) How can your community look to sustain and increase the number of people worshipping with

you towards 2030?

The worshipping community at St. Cuthbert’s has always included significant numbers of people who live outside the parish boundaries. We believe that the quality of the liturgy and the links with the University are key factors influencing people’s decision to worship at St. Cuthbert’s. Mass attendance has been stable for the last 8 years, despite the change from 3 Sunday Masses to 2, and attendance at the major feasts significantly increases (on Easter Sunday morning the congregation filled the Parish room as well as the church). Lauds, vespers and Mass are celebrated every day, resulting in a visible worshipping community throughout the week. The age profile figures include the student community, and clearly show the impact of the University Chaplaincy. The University continues to expand, and plans to further develop Chaplaincy provision for University staff may also impact on the numbers who attend St. Cuthbert’s. At the open meeting, we identified that the provision of opportunities for formation and worship in addition to Sunday Mass is a key factor in sustaining and increasing the number of people worshipping at St. Cuthbert’s, and that the starting point for this is closer working between the parish and the Chaplaincy, to open up the events which we already provide to parishioners and students. We are planning to work jointly with Churches Together in Elvet and Shincliffe to reach out to the people who do live within the parish boundaries, particularly as there have been a number of building developments in Durham.

1 The Christian Faithful


It is certain that in the future even more communities will be sharing a priest with other worshipping communities. Priests and deacons will be working more collaboratively with people. The prospect of having around 50 active priests in our Diocese in 15 years’ time (2030) certainly sharpens the mind. While we must continue to pray that men will respond to the call of discipleship as ordained priests and deacons, we also need to look carefully at the development of other forms of leadership in the Church. a) What lay leadership is currently viable and effective in your community?

b) For what other areas of your community life could trained lay men and women assume

responsibility?

There is a good level of lay leadership in the parish, chairing committees, co-ordinating youth activity and taking on significant responsibility for initiatives such as the recent stonework project, where lay people led on applications for funds, e.g. from English Heritage, and liaison with contractors as work progressed. Parishioners are also involved at Diocesan level, on the Council of Laity, the Diocesan Liturgy Commission and the Diocesan Church Music Association.

However, there is not enough information about who has taken on leadership roles, and as a result not enough communication between lay leaders and other members of the parish. People are not always clear who to contact with ideas or contributions, so people in leadership roles are in danger of working in isolation, rather than leading parish activity.

Some people have been involved in leadership roles for many years, and provide very effective service to the community, which is valued and appreciated by the parish. However, we need to involve a wider group of people as we have had difficulty filling some roles when an individual stands down. This, in turn, discourages new volunteers, unwilling to take on a role indefinitely, and perhaps feeling it is easier not to volunteer at all. Fixed terms for involvement in committees would encourage more involvement.

The Catholic Society provides specific roles, and some scholarships, for students to co-ordinate worship and social activity, leading the Chaplaincy community now and preparing them for leadership roles in parishes in the future.

The priests in our parish are very involved with a number of activities where there is scope for lay people to become involved.

IT: fr. Ben has developed and refreshed the parish website. He has introduced an e-bulletin and a Facebook page. Similarly, fr. Ben is currently responsible for the chaplaincy website and Facebook page. He is developing communications with the students by the use of targeted distribution lists for email contact and building links with chaplaincy alumni through an e-newsletter. Future parish priests may not have the skills to do this, and there is the opportunity for other people to get involved and potentially take on this activity. In particular, contact with the student community through social media could be delegated to a chaplaincy assistant or intern.

Finances: The parish secretary is responsible for day to day transactions and the Finance Committee takes an overview of finances, but there is scope for more lay involvement in budgeting. The chaplaincy finances are separately managed and the Finance Committee have very little involvement, so that financial management is currently almost entirely the responsibility of fr. Ben as Chaplain.

Chaplaincy support: as we strengthen the links between the chaplaincy and the parish and consider the provision of chaplaincy services to university staff, there may be opportunities for parishioners to take on roles, not yet defined, in support of the chaplaincy.

2 Leadership


In parishes where the same small, ageing group of parishioners has served the community extremely well over very many years, there may be some real anxiety about the future. As that small group retires and withdraws from active involvement, the community is at risk of floundering if younger parishioners are unable or unwilling to take their place. a) How diverse and active are parishioners within the community?

b) How can the parish community invite and prepare more people to support it?

The age profile of those attending Mass at St. Cuthbert’s is unusual. The presence of the university chaplaincy means that there are large numbers of young people during the University term. The evening Mass is the chaplaincy Mass, but many students also attend the parish Mass on Sunday morning. In contrast, the geographical area which the parish covers means that there are relatively few young families

A significant proportion of those attending St. Cuthbert’s are connected to the University and this can give the impression that the parish is ‘intellectual’, and may be daunting. We are also aware that there are people who come to Mass every week, but who are not involved in other parish activities. On the whole, however, a good proportion of parishioners are involved in a range of activities and feedback from parishioners is that St. Cuthbert’s is a very supportive community, particularly when people are experiencing ill health, bereavement, etc., and this is one of our strengths.

The chaplaincy means that there is an ever changing population of young people, including international students. This brings the challenge of involving people who may only be in Durham for a year or less, but also means that the need to encourage people to get involved is addressed constantly, with student leaders actively looking for those who will take on their roles as they themselves step down.

We have identified that we do not know enough about the skills and availability of the people who attend St. Cuthbert’s – it is more than 10 years since we did a parish census. An up to date census will give us the opportunity to approach people and invite them to become involved in ministry and parish activities. In particular, the 6.30pm Sunday Mass has a floating population, with a very different attendance outside the University term, and it is therefore more difficult to know people and invite their involvement. There is already a process in place to register students every year, and collect information on how they would like to become involved.

We believe that the most effective way to encourage people to become active is by personal invitation, and the census will allow us to approach people with particular skills and interests to involve them in the most appropriate way.

We plan to:-

- invite involvement for specific events or initiatives, so that people can be involved for a defined period of time rather than an on-going commitment which may be daunting

- invite people to take on roles alongside those currently leading, based on people’s interests and skills (or roles where they have no previous background, offering support and mentoring) so that a wider group of people is involved

- publicise how people can become involved, with information about roles available and opportunities for people to try activities from flower arranging to reading.

3 Active Involvement of People


A flourishing community has worship at the centre of its life. The ultimate goal is to make Jesus Christ known and loved. This is why Jesus Christ is at the heart of every worshipping community. The Eucharist is the principal means in which we celebrate this. The Holy Spirit may well be leading us to discover a variety of forms of worship and devotion in the future. For this very reason a living community makes every effort to encourage parishioners of all ages and backgrounds to participate fully in prayer, devotion, worship and study.

God loves us individually. We respond to God’s love in our own ways. When we come together for worship we all need to have a sense that our relationship with God is strengthened and affirmed. a) Are there aspects of your community’s regular worship together at Mass that are working

particularly well and deepen the spiritual life of those present?

b) Is there anything your community can do to encourage a deeper prayer life and engagement with

Scripture?

The Sunday liturgy is well done, and frequently complimented by visitors and by those who attend regularly. The music is also very strong, with the Parish choir providing a strong lead, and a congregation who are willing to sing. The student Mass is supported by a strong choir, and there has been a clear development in the standard of music at the evening Mass over the last 12 months, supported by the provision of organ and choral scholarships.

We have a considerable number of people involved in ministry, particularly as readers (both in the Parish and in the Chaplaincy), although some ministries such as welcoming are less well supported. We also have considerable expertise which is recognised beyond our own parish – the bidding prayer prepared for St. Cuthbert’s is e-mailed weekly to 20 other contacts, including 8 other parishes in the Diocese.

We also receive regular feedback on the quality of preaching. Some of those attending feel that the nature of a university parish means that it can be intellectual, but equally sermons and retreats generate considerable discussion, and in addition to the Dominican community we benefit from a variety of visiting preachers at the chaplaincy Mass.

There are many regular opportunities for worship - we have daily Mass, and the Divine Office is sung daily in church. Other regular opportunities for worship include exposition on Wednesday evenings and Stations of the Cross on the Fridays during Lent.

Despite the strength of the liturgy and music, we are concerned that the Parish relies on a relatively small number of people and this group needs to be widened. We have identified the need to get more people involved in ministries at Sunday Masses, as a number of people currently have more than one ministry, while there are gaps elsewhere – we are particularly short of welcomers, and of all ministers at the 6.30pm Mass outside the University term. The open meeting identified actions to address this: we need to actively invite people to become involved, and we need to provide more information about what roles there are, what they involve and a clear message that this is about ministry, not about tasks needing to be done.

We need to do more to help people understand the Mass, and provide assistance to people who need help to follow what is going on, both for visitors and for parishioners. We will be using items in the weekly bulletin to give people information on a regular basis. We also offer assistance to anyone joining the friars for Lauds and Vespers.

The student community meet every Wednesday night for prayer. Feedback from the parish is that we would benefit from small groups meeting regularly, to look at scripture (e.g. readings for the following Sunday), to say the rosary or to look at forms of spirituality such as Taize. At the students’ suggestion, a joint parish / chaplaincy Bible Study group has been set up.

4 Worship and Spiritual Life


A flourishing community will be able to show that the Catholic faith is handed on to children, young people and adults by means of regular programmes of religious education and Christian Formation. a) What good experiences has your community had in the past and what opportunities would you

like to see for ‘continuing formation’ in the faith for members of your community?

b) How can closer relationships be developed between the worshipping community, the school(s)

the young people attend, and the families that belong to both?

Lay people are involved in programmes for sacramental preparation and formation. We work in partnership with Durham Martyrs parish to prepare young people for Confirmation. Our RCIA programme meets the needs of people from the local area and from the Chaplaincy, and includes sessions which are advertised as open meetings to the parish, with guest speakers.

Recent retreat and study days have been well attended. St. Cuthbert’s benefits from contacts with the University’s Centre for Catholic Studies, and with the Order of Preachers, so a wide range of speakers have led study days, retreat days and evening talks. Study days, while still being successful events, attract fewer people than retreat days, perhaps because they can seem academic. Days with a mix of talks and prayer are much appreciated. We are aware that full day events on a Saturday can be a difficult commitment for working people, and half day events may be a good option.

There is scope to advertise our talks and retreat days more widely across the Deanery, using the Church should numbers increase beyond the capacity of the parish room. For those who are unable to attend, we are considering how we can use the parish website to publish materials from formation events.

Chaplaincy provision includes discussion and talks every week as part of Cathsoc night, and there are residential retreats every term. St. Cuthbert’s also hosts events for the Dominican Youth Movement, which are open to young adults up to the age of 35.

We believe both the local primary and the comprehensive school see their primary relationship with Durham Martyrs parish, rather than St. Cuthbert’s.

We need to develop closer communications with primary and secondary schools, so that we publish key information in our bulletin, and are included in any appeals from the schools for help (e.g. volunteers to go into school to help with activities). We do receive regular information from St. Leonard’s School and we already work with Durham Martyrs parish on confirmation and first communication programmes. Through these programmes we have some links to the schools, but there is the opportunity to work together with the schools more widely, particularly on how we reach families who are not regularly attending Mass. We would welcome information on how many children attending the Catholic schools, and describing themselves as Catholic, regularly attend Mass – some other Dioceses have collected this data.

Closer links with the primary schools to understand how they work with our young people would help us develop the provision in the parish for children not in Catholic schools. We currently rely on a number of teachers who attend St. Cuthbert’s, rather than any more formal links.

fr. Ben already speaks to the 6th Form at St. Leonard’s as they prepare for university, so that they are aware of Chaplaincy provision. We intend to explore closer links between the chaplaincy and the 6th Form, so that 6th formers have the opportunity to share worship with the student community.

5 Education and Continuing Formation


A flourishing community extends a spirit of hospitality and invites people to become members. It also looks way beyond itself to discover how the spirit of Jesus can be brought to bear on everything that concerns us in the world: our relationship with other Christian Churches, women and men of other faiths and all men and women of good will in our world.

Under this heading we include: hospitality; Ecumenism; Interfaith relationships; involvement in local social and political issues and much more. It explores the practical ways we have of becoming ‘missionary disciples’.

a) What good experiences has your community had regarding our call to be involved with other Christians, other faiths, all men and women of good will?

b) How can your worshipping community become more immersed in the local community?

We have a very strong relationship with other Christians in Durham. Churches Together in Elvet and Shincliffe is very effective, with regular events including the annual Holy Island pilgrimage, services in each of the churches and programmes of talks, mostly in the parish room at St. Cuthbert’s. Churches Together in Durham involves parishioners taking on roles in New Year and Good Friday services.

The parish Justice & Peace Group promotes a wide variety of causes, local and overseas. We are situated right next to Durham prison and support the Prison Visitors’ Centre by collecting toys for visiting children. We have hosted speakers from Open Gate and North East Prison After Care Society (NEPACS), with information sessions and fundraising.

For many years we had close links with and raised funds for our twin parish in India. Some parishioners visited India to strengthen the relationship with the parish. In recent years, however, we have been unable to maintain contact despite repeated efforts, and we have been unable to ensure funds get to the intended source. We are currently supporting other overseas development projects with CAFOD.

The Justice & Peace group have links with the group at Durham Martyrs, and recently hosted a joint event on human trafficking which was informative and very well received.

fr. Ben works closely with University chaplains, both Christian and from other faiths. Joint events such as the candlelit procession to the cathedral and retreat to Holy Island are well supported by Catholic students.

The parish has few links with other faiths, although fr. Ben works with the university chaplains of all faiths as a member of the university Inter-faith forum and mentor to the Jewish Chaplain, and was convener of Chaplains. We have the opportunity to build links with other faiths as the Islamic prayer room is close to St. Cuthbert’s.

The J&P group recently recommended that we should actively support a local project as well as our long-standing commitment to an overseas project, and we are currently fundraising for NEPACS.

Keeping the church open 3 days a week has been a great success, and we could explore longer opening hours. The hospitality provided at the Miners’ Gala and at Lumiere is welcomed and increases our contact with the local community.

There is no SVP group at St. Cuthbert’s. There is, however, an active group at Durham Martyrs, and this is another opportunity for us to work together rather than to set up a separate group.

The students are keen to get involved in outreach. They already send a representative to the parish J&P group and have recently held a meeting to explore specific projects which students could become involved in.

6 Outreach


A sustainable community must have an annual income that is sufficient to cover its expenses. There needs to be a reliable level of stewardship among the faithful who willingly give of their time, gifts and energy to sustain the work of the community.

a) How do you feel about the average weekly offertory donation in your community? Does this need to increase to enable your community to flourish in 2030?

b) If you are a finance-rich community, how do you feel about sharing some of your resources with very poor parts of the Diocese?

The Mass attendance figures include both parish and Chaplaincy, and this influences the data on average weekly offertory donations and on the percentage of attendees whose donations are Gift Aided - both figures are lower than the Diocesan average. Once adjusted for the student population, both figures are higher than average. The Finance Committee believe that annual campaigns to increase Gift Aid are still worthwhile, but there is no significant shortfall of taxpaying parishioners who have not Gift Aided their donations.

The Finance Committee speak occasionally at the end of Mass, and regularly at the PPC but parishioners would welcome more information about finances, perhaps a written summary every 6 months to take away. The meeting also highlighted that Chaplaincy finance is not well understood, as there is minimal involvement from lay people in the parish.

The parish does not have a large annual surplus. The accounts show that our income is adequate to cover regular expenses, and that the parish has a history of rising to the challenge of fundraising when major expenditure is necessary, with expertise in applying for grants adding to generous donations and legacies. The open meeting agreed this is very positive, and suggests that there is no underlying need to increase regular income in order to meet the parish’s current needs. The action plan detailed at Part C contains some ideas which may incur additional expense, but have not yet been costed. Implementation will take account of financial considerations.

The meeting concluded that our current income means we are financially stable, but not a rich parish, and we do not have significant surpluses readily available to share with other parts of the Diocese. However, in years when we do not have major expenditure, we have funds on deposit with the Diocese, which makes use of those funds to meet the needs elsewhere, so in effect this does already happen.

We have been particularly successful at raising funds for specific projects in our own parish and to assist others (e.g. overseas development) due to the generosity of our parishioners. Supporting particular projects on an occasional basis elsewhere in the Diocese would fit in with this approach, without the pressure of increased, open-ended financial pressure on people in this parish.

The open meeting increased understanding of the practical financial arrangements between the parish and the Chaplaincy. Although St. Cuthbert’s parish is relatively small, we succeed in maintaining and financing the buildings which also house the University Chaplaincy. Many university Chaplaincies are not based in parishes, and may not have a church, and if this relationship between the parish and the Chaplaincy was changed, the Diocese would need to make separate financial provision for premises for the Chaplaincy. The relationship between the parish and the chaplaincy is therefore significant – without the Chaplaincy, the parish would probably be considered too small to be viable, but the parish’s financial stability is a major factor in supporting and financing the Chaplaincy.

7 Finances


A flourishing community needs good facilities which need to be well maintained. It cannot undertake any building projects, renovations or improvements unless it has the resources to pay for them. It may be that in some places, there is a need for a plan for the community and a plan for the buildings, and they may be separate plans. It is also true to say that our buildings can be a witness to the presence of the Church in our world, or a drain on resources and energy. a) What sort of use can your community foresee for any unused or underused parish facilities in the

future?

b) How can the community develop the capacity to look after its facilities in the future?

The church has a capacity of 200, and the average Mass attendance is 350 across the 2 Masses, with the parish room used for additional capacity via a video link on major feasts. The church is well used during the week, with Lauds, Vespers and Mass every day, and open for visitors and prayer 3 days a week.

The parish / Chaplaincy room is also well used. Since the installation of a swipe access system, the student community are able to use the facilities during the day, as a meeting place and also for studying and revising. In the evening, the facilities are used for regular meetings, especially during the University term, but also for occasional talks during the week and retreat days on Saturdays. We are sometimes in the position of having to turn away potential bookings because the room is so well used. The facilities are also very popular with Churches Together in Elvet and Shincliffe, and many of the Advent / Lent sessions for Churches Together take place at St. Cuthbert’s. In return, we make use of the larger church halls at the Anglican and Methodist churches, for quiz nights and social events where our own facilities are not large enough.

The presbytery is now home to the Dominican community.

We do not have unused or underused facilities - the facilities at St. Cuthbert’s are very well used.

We have a number of projects requiring attention over the next few years, and are working closely with the Diocese and the Finance Committee to take these forward.

We are aware that we rely on the goodwill and expertise of a small number of parishioners to oversee our facilities. This expertise is very evident in the extent to which we were able to work with the contractors on the recent major stonework project, and in understanding and managing on-going maintenance and future requirements. The gardens are beautifully maintained, again due to the expertise of volunteers.

We are very aware of the need to get more people involved, so that volunteers who have no previous experience in facilities can learn from the current experts. For some practical tasks, it may be possible to recruit students / young people for appropriate remuneration. We are exploring the idea of mentoring young people to get involved in these practical aspects of supporting the community. Students, as well as young people in the parish, may find this type of involvement interesting and be able to add it to their CV as well as developing skills to support parishes in the future.

The open meeting concluded that the overview of facilities requires particular skills and knowledge, and it would make sense in the long term to work closely with neighbouring parishes, particularly if in the future parishioners are not able to take on these roles and the need arises to buy in expertise.

8 Facilities


A flourishing community may be influenced by its location. The proximity of neighbouring parishes can have a real impact on the vibrancy of a community. If several communities are in close proximity with large, ageing buildings that are only half-full, this will need to be taken into account when considering the future.

Our basic question is about how we can enable communities to flourish in order for us to deepen our sense of discipleship and service. Our parish churches are not private chapels maintained simply because the community has enough money to cover the expense.

a) How does your community feel about the possibility that the only way to ensure flourishing in the future is to become part of a new parish community?

b) Are there ways in which your community can serve and support neighbouring communities?

We recognise that the Durham churches are very close together and that distance / geography would not be a factor in a reorganisation of the parish communities. Parishioners are interested to find out more about the experience of Durham Martyrs parish, as the other Durham parishes merged fairly recently. Some of the practical issues, such as the lack of a church large enough for the whole parish for Christmas and Easter liturgies, would be increased if there was one parish for the whole of Durham.

The open meeting concluded that it is helpful to have different parish communities, with different characters, and that this may be a factor in sustaining attendance in the future, and in particular maintaining communities which help people to grow. The particular character of St. Cuthbert’s, with its links to the University and the close relationship with the Chaplaincy, is what brings many people to Mass here, and in recent years the presence of the Dominican community has added to this, allowing people to experience joining the friars for the office and increasing awareness of the wider Church.

The chaplaincy also benefits from being based within a parish community. The presence of such a significant group of young people has a positive impact on the whole parish. If the parish were part of the wider parish community in Durham and the chaplaincy detached from a parish, we may miss opportunities to prepare the students for active involvement in parishes in the future.

Although we are so close to Durham Martyrs parish, the open meeting acknowledged that we do not have many active links with them. This may be partly due to the fact that Durham Martyrs is a relatively new parish, concentrating on building links between its own communities.

However, we do work in partnership with Durham Martyrs parish to prepare young people for Confirmation. RCIA and marriage preparation are advertised across both parishes, so that if someone is unable to attend at the times we run our sessions, they have other options. We have also recently built links between the Justice and Peace Groups in the 2 parishes, and run joint events. Young people attending the film and pizza nights are always asked to invite friends from school, who are likely to be parishioners of Durham Martyrs.

We identified the need for much better communication between the parishes. We need to make each other’s weekly bulletins more accessible and to advertise events, talks, etc., beyond our own parish. A first step to closer links will be to share the conclusions and plans from our respective Forward Together in Hope assessments.

9 Geographic Distance


Young people are not just the ‘future’ of the Church; they are very much part of the present. We all need to look at how actively young people are encouraged and affirmed in their contribution to the community throughout the year. The enthusiasm and energy of young people can sometimes be daunting to those who are older, but they are also signs of the Holy Spirit within us and among us. a) What good experiences regarding Church life do the young people have in your community?

b) How can the presence and witness of young people be more encouraged and supported in the

community?

The Children’s Liturgy group at Sunday Mass is a real success, particularly in its impact on those children who are not in Catholic schools. Numbers fluctuate, and at times there are few children regularly attending, but the group tends to grow again depending on the number of young families in the parish.

We have young people attending St. Cuthbert’s but not in Catholic schools, and find that encouraging them to take on specific roles is the best way to keep them involved. We encourage young people to get involved in the full range of ministries, from altar serving to reading, as well as giving them specific responsibilities such as the Fair Trade stall.

Film and pizza nights are well received (the young people have asked for them to be more frequent) and involve time for discussion and prayer as well as the film.

The University Chaplaincy means that we have a high proportion of young people attending Mass each week, and this is a very positive experience for and example to the young people in the parish. Parish and chaplaincy are planning more joint events, so that both can benefit from close involvement of all ages.

The programme of events planned each term for the chaplaincy is well supported and provides opportunity for a real community tailored to the needs of the students. The formation offered to students and the experience of a Catholic community serves as a transition from a child’s experience to an adult experience of faith.

We have explored the John Paul II award to provide young people with recognition for the activity they take on, but found that those interested were in the 14-16 age group, and ineligible. We cannot offer the higher awards to students either, as the majority of them are not from a Diocese offering the awards at 16-18.

We will explore supplementing the current range of involvement with opportunities to become involved in committees and other activities, with support and mentoring from other members of the parish.

The Catholic Society gives individual students the opportunity to take on particular roles, and the student Masses, on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, mean that young people are actively involved in planning the liturgy. Small scholarships for music encourage students to take on a commitment and recognise their contribution.

At an open meeting with the students, we asked what it was that kept them involved in the church, to the extent that they had become active in the chaplaincy. Interestingly, there were few examples of good practice from parishes around the country. Students talked about specific events which had made a deep impression on them, organised through schools or dioceses, and which had involved them with large groups of young Catholics and made them think about the wider church and the church in action. Particular examples were pilgrimages to Lourdes and Diocesan events for young people. This confirms the importance of the events organised by the Diocese, and those available through the Dominican Youth Movement.

10 Young People


a) Given all the findings you have explored in Part A of this questionnaire, what would you see as the

priorities to ensure a viable and flourishing community in 2030?

Increasing active involvement - A census /skills survey will give us the information we need to invite people to get involved. - An events group will plan social activity. - We are planning an open day, offering people the opportunity to find out about ministries, activities and leadership roles.

Building on the relationship between the parish and the Chaplaincy - This year’s Carol Service is a joint event and we are starting a joint Bible Study group. - We’re looking at how parishioners can support students taking on ministries and leadership roles. - Students will get involved in organising events for the young people in the parish.

Developing our relationship with the schools and with Durham Martyrs parish - We need to build stronger links with the primary schools, publish information in our bulletin, and invite representatives from the schools to join the PPC. - We will advertise talks and study days in Durham Martyrs parish. - The Justice and Peace groups at St. Cuthbert’s and Durham Martyrs are already in contact. We will build links with the SVP too.

Pastoral planning - We will review the guidelines of the PPC, parish committees and groups, so that the remit of each group is clear. - The PPC meetings are open meetings, but we will review the need for specific roles in addition to the chair and vice-chair - We will use the action plan from FTiH as the basis for a pastoral plan, and the PPC will review progress.

11 What Else?


b) Do you have any other observations - particularly about anything we may have missed?

The Chaplaincy The FTiH discussions highlighted some aspects of the relationship between the parish and the chaplaincy which had not previously been very visible. The presence of such a large number of young people is an asset which we can use to reach out to the young people in our parish and the schools, and the student community are very willing to get involved, and are very appreciative of the fact that the chaplaincy is based within a parish. The discussion with the students also highlighted that we are not just meeting the needs of the students while they are at university. We also have the opportunity to prepare them to be actively involved in parishes wherever they move on to after university.

The Dominican community The presence of the Dominican community at St. Cuthbert’s adds considerably to the life of the parish. The opportunity to join the friars for Lauds and Vespers every day, the quality of preaching and the number of visiting preachers from the order enhance the worship and formation of our parish life. The information we receive about the order gives us access to a wider view of the life of the Church, and the Dominican Youth Movement provides opportunities and support for the students and local young adults.

Updated figures from section 1 (2015) Mass attendance: 358 Baptisms: 10 Confirmations: 1 (and 2 of our young people were confirmed at Durham Martyrs) Marriages: 7 Receptions: 0


There is no doubt that there are some really innovative things going on within our worshipping communities from alternative Halloween evenings for children to imaginative liturgies during Holy Week; from exciting Confirmation programmes to pilgrimages and vigils.

a) Is there something your community is involved in which will be of interest to others in the Diocese? Please use as much space as you need.

Thank you for completing Section B.

The final section is brief but does need serious thought.

Planning and preparing the liturgy The Liturgy and Music group lead on the selection of music which is appropriate to the liturgy of the day. The children’s liturgy group produce a simple rota which gives information on the readings of the day, to

give group leaders confidence in their planning. For more information, contact [email protected] or Tel: 0191 3843442 The bidding prayers which are written for St. Cuthbert’s are already shared with 20 other contacts, including 8 parishes within the Diocese. To be added to the email distribution list, contact

[email protected]

The standard of the liturgy. We would be happy to help anyone looking for support to develop the liturgy in their own parish. In addition to the regular liturgy, we have a lot of experience in preparing liturgies for major feasts,

occasional services (such as carol services) and ecumenical services. Contact [email protected]

Fundraising. We have successfully applied for grants from English Heritage and other bodies, and have already

supported other parishes in bidding for grants. For more information, contact [email protected] or Tel: 0191 3843442

Making our buildings accessible. The introduction of swipe card access has made the parish / chaplaincy room a place where people can call in to use the library and the kitchen, and students can find a place to revise. This may be an option worth exploring, for any parish which would like to provide access during the week, without the need to have someone in attendance at all times.

Keeping the church open. A rota of stewards means that the church is now open for prayer and for visitors on Thursday, Friday and Saturday every week.

Activities for young people. Chaplaincy events and prayer groups were spread throughout the week, as we had assumed that people who were unable to attend on one night would find something they could come to over the course of the week. But only small numbers were attending each event. The main activities have now been put all together on Wednesday evening. There is Vespers at 6.15pm, followed by Exposition and the opportunity for confession, Mass at 7.00pm, then a shared meal, discussion or a talk, and socialising. Although concentrating activities on one evening may seem to limit the opportunity for people to attend, in fact we have found that students put Cathsoc night in their diaries and prioritise it, and the evening is increasingly well attended.

12 Good Practice

mailto:[email protected]







Part C Our Parish Community’s Initial Thoughts and Ideas about the Future Based upon the wide consultation and reflection that has taken place in completing parts A and B of this questionnaire, please use this section to provide an indication of your parish community’s initial thoughts about its future. You are also asked to provide information about the consultation process that has taken place to inform these views.

a) Our initial thoughts and ideas

Based on everything you have prayerfully and carefully considered so far please set out below the initial thoughts and ideas from your community about the way forward for your parish. You may also wish to provide a view about anything that is emerging regarding the ability of your parish to flourish into the future – either on its own or in conjunction with another community. Please feel free to use as much space as you need.

ABILITY OF OUR PARISH TO FLOURISH The Forward Together in Hope process has confirmed that St. Cuthbert’s and the Chaplaincy are a strong and viable community. The character and strengths of the worshipping community are an excellent base on which to encourage greater involvement of parishioners and to prepare the student community for involvement and leadership roles in parishes in the future. We have several examples of good practice which we can share with other parishes in the Diocese.

THE WAY FORWARD The parish identified a wide range of actions to take forward. The complete action plan has more than 80 ideas and a summary of the activity and what we hope it will achieve is included below. The plan addresses the 4 priority areas which we identified at section 11a, but also includes ideas in each of the 10 subject areas which the Forward Together in Hope process looked at. The plan will be monitored through PPC meetings, and refreshed and evaluated as the ideas are discussed and implemented.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ACTION PLAN

1. The Christian Faithful We identified a number of actions to reach out to groups of people, to give them more information about the parish, and to invite them to join us: o Providing information about St. Cuthbert’s to residents - parts of the Parish beyond the area

covered by Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe. The Elvet & Shincliffe group provide regular information, delivering cards to houses in the area with contact details and service times for Christmas and Easter. But part of our parish is not covered by the Elvet & Shincliffe area of Churches Together and there is no similar publicity. We will be looking at how we reach this part of the parish.

o Providing information about St. Cuthbert’s to residents - new developments in Durham. The cards produced by Churches Together in Elvet & Shincliffe have a distribution list. But there are several new developments within the area and additional cards are needed for delivery to those areas. This is being taken forward with the Churches Together group.

o Developing Chaplaincy provision for university staff. Chaplaincy provision for the students is well established and well publicised. But the chaplaincy is also there to support university staff. The nature of this provision is at an early stage of development, and we will explore how the parish can assist the Chaplain


Our initial thoughts and ideas (continued)

We also discussed how we welcome and get to know the people who come to Mass. o Better advertising of tea / coffee after Mass. Although tea and coffee is available every week, it

may not always be obvious to new people. It is advertised occasionally, but we need to invite people regularly.

2. Leadership We need more people to be involved in leadership roles. o Provide descriptions of leadership roles on website to encourage people to volunteer. This is

closely linked to ideas in section 3. We need clear information about the opportunities for people to get involved, so that people know what needs doing and how they can help.

o Personal invitations to get involved. People do not readily volunteer for leadership roles, and we need to identify people with the skills and openly invite them to take on roles.

We need to carry out a complete review of the remit of the groups and committees of the parish. Although we have a reasonable number of people involved in these roles, the accountabilities of each group are not always apparent, and this affects the impact that the groups have and the communication between leaders, groups and the parish. o Provide a noticeboard with pictures and contact details of lay leaders. Many people who came to

the open meetings were not aware who led which group, or knew names but not faces. People are more likely to come forward with ideas and opinions, or to volunteer, if they can easily identify the right person to approach.

o Review PPC Guidelines, the standard agenda for the PPC, frequency of and publicity about PPC meetings, and consider representation from the schools on the PPC. The PPC guidelines are very out of date, and inaccurate. We need more clarity about which individuals have specific roles on the PPC. The agenda needs to be developed, as the PPC is currently principally about delivering reports from other groups, rather than influencing the life of the parish. The action plan from FTiH will form the basis of a pastoral plan.

o Review and publish guidelines for all groups and committees, including fixed terms for membership of committees. We have a variety of groups and committees. Some of the groups are very informal, which works well for those involved but can lead to lack of clarity in who is leading on a particular initiative.

Leadership roles in the chaplaincy are clearly defined through the election of students to the Cathsoc Exec.. However students are in post for only a year, and there is a constant need for support for them to become quickly effective. o Explore the need for a lay Chaplaincy assistant / intern. Such a role could take on some of the

time-consuming activity which currently falls to fr. Ben (e.g. social media, which is increasingly important in reaching the student population), allowing him the time to provide the support which the students need.



3. Active involvement of people We identified the need to find out more about the people who come to St. Cuthbert’s. If we are to actively invite people to increase their involvement, we need to know their interests and skills, and we need to ensure people are supported, so that becoming involved does not seem daunting: o Parish census / questionnaire. This will give us a database of who we can approach to help with

various activities. o Offer opportunities for people to become involved for individual events rather than long term

commitments. People are sometimes unwilling to sign up for a lengthy commitment, due to the limited time they have available. Allowing people the opportunity to get involved for a short period will increase their sense of involvement and they are more likely to be available in the future.

o Offer mentoring and support for people who are willing to become involved but who do not have previous experience. Some of the tasks that need doing require knowledge or skills which people may not have. Asking current leaders to work alongside new volunteers will build skills and confidence for people to increase their involvement

In addition to involving individuals in specific activities, we need to build on the community aspects of life in the parish. o Set up events group to lead on social activity. Many of our recent social events have been primarily

fundraising events. Now that our fundraising campaign is over, we need to make sure that we do not lose the social side of the events we held. A new events group is less formal than a committee, and will be able to organise a variety of activity.

o More joint parish / chaplaincy social events. The student community value the fact that the chaplaincy is attached to a parish. There have been occasional joint social events, but both parish and students would welcome more.

o Hold a parish evening based on CathSoc, with a mix of worship, a shared meal and a talk. Putting a number of events together on one evening worked very well for the Chaplaincy, and we are recommending it as good practice (Section 12). We will try the idea for the parish, out of term time.

o Publicise availability of swipe cards to parishioners to increase access to the parish room. Building the community is not just about events. The students have made good use of their access to the parish room to meet and to support each other during study and revision. Parishioners, too, can make use of the facilities, but this is not widely appreciated.

4. Worship and Spiritual Life We identified that there may be people coming to Mass who are not fully aware of what the liturgy involves. Even those who are regulars may welcome the opportunity to think about what happens at Mass. o Explaining the Mass: refresh the sheets we provide with the order of the Mass. As the missals do

not contain the new translation, we ensure that we make the order of the Mass readily available. o Explaining the Mass: items in the bulletin. We have already included items about the Creed.

People need support to take on roles in the liturgy o Open day, explaining ministries and encouraging involvement in a range of activities, committees,

etc.. This will give people the opportunity to try ministries such as reading, to give them confidence in volunteering.

o Personal invitations to individuals to take on ministries. We will use the information from the census to invite people who have said they are interested.

o Increase the number of people who are invited to take up the offertory. This is an opportunity to involve families and visitors, as well as the regular group

o Parish to provide support to students taking on ministries such as reading – training day for student ministers. As students are in Durham for only a few years, there is a regular need to offer training and support to new volunteers.



One of our priorities is to strengthen the relationship between the chaplaincy and the parish, and it is important that this involves worship and spiritual life as well as social activity. o Review worship and formation activity for Chaplaincy, to open up events to parish where

appropriate. The chaplaincy benefits from a planned programme of events each term, and some of these will be of interest to the parish too. While it is important for the students to build up their own chaplaincy community by having chaplaincy events, we will identify opportunities for joint services – this year’s carol service is being jointly organised.

o Set up small groups for prayer / Bible study. The students have suggested a joint Bible study group

We have a successful children’s liturgy group, but we identified that more can be done to publicise the group and to acknowledge the children’s activity in a way that is more visible to the parish. o Display some of the activities from children’s liturgy in the narthex, to encourage other children to

join the group. If there are new or visiting children, they may not be aware of the group. Equally, some children may be reluctant to join the group and prefer to stay with their families. Publicity about what the group do will make it more inviting for others to join.

o Children’s liturgy group to share their work when they come back into church at the offertory. This would not be appropriate every week, and the need to produce something to share could put pressure on the group leaders as they do not have a lot of time with the children. But there will be occasions when the group have something to share with the parish.

o Consider how the children’s liturgy group come back into church. The children currently come back in and run to find their parents. Marking their entrance (e.g. if the group stopped to bow in front of the altar) would be an acknowledgement of their important part in the liturgy.

5. Education and Continuing Formation One of our priorities is to build stronger links with the schools. o Publish information from the schools in our bulletin and on noticeboards. We are aware that

Durham Martyrs publish notices from the primary schools, and people who attend St. Cuthbert’s do not see that information. We will make links with the schools to ensure that we receive the information

o Include links to the schools’ websites on the parish site. We have a range of very successful formation events, but feedback suggests that there is scope for increasing publicity, to make them available to a wider audience o Sessions on Catholic teaching for Chaplaincy and parish. There are already some well attended

sessions for the students as part of Cathsoc night. The subjects are of interest to the parish too. o RCIA open meetings – advertise more widely. As part of our RCIA programme, we always have at

least 2 sessions which are open to the whole parish. This is publicised, but the fact that the sessions are open needs to be more obvious.

o Retreat days – try half day sessions rather than the full day. The retreat days we hold are very successful, but some people, particularly those working full time, find it difficult to commit to a full day at the weekend.

o Talks/retreats – publish content on parish website. Publishing notes from the meetings will make them available to people who could not attend. The extent to which we are able to do this will, of course, depend on the speaker.

There is also scope for more informal groups, allowing people to meet together and share their own experiences. o Set up mums’ group with reception class parents. This is something we would like to explore

jointly with Durham Martyrs. Parents who are not attending Mass regularly may have made a conscious decision to send their child to a Catholic school, and this is a good opportunity to explore why this is important to them.

o Set up Teams of Our Lady. We have an information session in November.



6. Outreach The students identified that outreach was an area where they currently have no specific commitments, and felt that it would be of real interest to some students to get involved with the wider community in Durham o Chaplaincy – students meeting specifically on J&P issues to decide on approach and involvement.

The students already send a rep. to the parish J&P meeting, but want to explore in more detail the type of activity which will engage students

o Chaplaincy – specific outreach activity / project for students to take forward. The students intend to identify specific projects which they will support.

The parish J&P group are considering additional activity to recommend to the parish: o ‘Knit and Natter’ sessions to support projects such as the Apostleship of the Sea. This has the

advantage of being a social activity as well as providing practical support to projects o Refugee crisis. Could we support a refugee family (not necessarily by housing them)? This is a very

current issue. We do not have parish buildings which we could use to accommodate refugees, but we are very aware of the scale of the problem, and need to explore how we can make a difference.

We discussed some specific outreach activity which we do not currently address, but where groups are already active in Durham Martyrs parish. We concluded that it does not make sense to set up new groups when we could link into the groups already active in Durham. o Make links / publicise the SVP group at Durham Martyrs o Make links / publicise the Bereavement group at Durham Martyrs

We have a number of long-standing financial contributions to UK and overseas projects, but there is no specific commitment o Tithing parish income, to donate money to charity. We will review the extent of charitable giving

as a proportion of parish income, and consider a recommendation to the PPC to make a specific commitment

We are already involved very successfully in ecumenical activity, but there is more we can do with other Christians and other faith groups o Make links with the Islamic Prayer Room. The prayer room is provided by the university and is

close to St. Cuthbert’s. fr. Ben already has some links through the University Inter-faith Forum, but there are no current links between the parish and local Muslims. This is something we will explore.

o Chaplaincy: increase links between Cathsoc and other societies. There are already good links with other university societies, but the students identified this as an area they would like to develop further.



7. Finances We identified a number of ideas to strengthen financial management and make sure the parish receives the right level of information about finances. o 6 monthly financial summaries to be published. The parish would welcome more frequent

information, covering income and expenditure as well as the current balance in the bank accounts. o Fuller accounts required, showing the detail of what is held in Diocesan accounts as well as the

local account. The detail on monies held in the parish account only provides part of the picture. o Set clear budgets to assist in monitoring expenditure. This will give us clarity on financial planning

and fluctuations in expenditure o Set up clear audit trail and communication for monies collected by J&P and Events groups. These

groups raise money for a variety of causes and we need a clear audit trail, and clear communication to the parish about which donations are allocated to various projects and charities.

o ‘Treasurer’ role to work across both parish and Chaplaincy. We will explore whether there is a need for a specific role, to bridge the gap between day to day activity carried out by the parish secretary and the oversight provided by the Finance Committee. Such a role would also assist fr. Ben in his role as Chaplain, as the funding for the chaplaincy is subject to separate management, and is not specifically within the remit of the Finance Committee

We encourage people to give by standing order o Encourage more standing orders. This is something we do regularly, as standing orders assist in

financial planning and are easier to administer than planned giving / loose plate donations. o Produce notes for people to put in the collection if they give by standing order. We have heard

that some people are reluctant to move to standing order as they feel it is important to be contributing at the offertory by putting something in the collection. Providing notes for people to use will enable them to actively contribute even if their donation is by standing order.

We have had considerable success in fundraising, with successful bids to English Heritage and other charitable trusts. o Share fundraising expertise with other parishes.

8. Facilities Our facilities are very well used, but we discussed opportunities which would encourage wider use by the local community o Explore extending the opening hours. The church is currently open 3 days a week, with a rota of

stewards. It could be open longer, and we have a camera available for security if we are unable to provide stewards at all times.

o Use church for appropriate concerts. Concerts would have to be appropriate for the church. This could only be occasional as the facilities are so well used that the church or parish room are in use so much of the time

We need to increase the number of people practically involved with management of the buildings. o Encourage volunteers to become involved / learn about facilities issues. This links to ideas for

mentoring volunteers and young people, and to identifying new volunteers through the census and open days.

o Recruit young people / students for some tasks with appropriate remuneration.



9. Geography In recent years, the other churches in Durham City have come together to form Durham Martyrs parish, and they have been working together, meeting the needs of the people of St. Godric’s, St Joseph’s and St. Bede’s. We believe that the particular circumstances and character of St. Cuthbert’s, with the Dominican community in residence and the university chaplaincy an integral part of the parish, means that the existence of St. Cuthbert’s as a separate parish is appropriate. However, we need to work more closely with Durham Martyrs to ensure that we meet the needs of the whole of Durham. o Share weekly bulletins with other parishes. The bulletins of the 2 parishes already include Mass

times across Durham, but we can share much more information o Advertise our events / talks in Durham Martyrs as well as St. Cuthbert’s. We have benefitted from

a range of speakers, from links with the Dominican order and with the Centre for Catholic Studies, and the events we host will be of interest to parishioners at Durham Martyrs too

o Meet with Durham Martyrs to share action plans after submission of questionnaire, and agree any joint activity. It will be important to share our findings from FTiH with Durham Martyrs and agree any activity where we can work together.

10. Young People We have identified a number of opportunities to involve young people in the activity of the parish: o Launch the John Paul II awards in the parish. We have a parish co-ordinator for the awards. We

have publicised the awards with our young people, and they are also receiving information through the schools.

o John Paul II awards: Raise issue of similar provision for 14+ and for students (see section 10b). We have raised this issue with the Diocesan organisers of the award. The 2 groups who are interested are not eligible for the award, as it is limited to 16-18 year olds. In particular, we are concerned about the 14+ group, as we find that they are probably standing down from serving on the altar and it is important to actively engage them in other activity. The award would be ideal for this age group.

o Hold film and pizza nights more frequently. The young people have specifically requested that we hold these nights more frequently.

o Advertise film and pizza nights in Durham Martyrs parish too, and invite children to bring friends. o Invite other young people to the events organised for altar servers. o Host Faith & Light sessions at St. Cuthbert’s, working jointly with Durham Martyrs. Faith & Light

sessions, for children with learning disabilities, are already held at Durham Martyrs. Inviting them to St. Cuthbert’s would raise awareness of the group with our parishioners, and ensure they are a welcome and visible part of our community.

o Retreat day for young people. The students could assist in organising the day. o Chaplaincy: do we need activity in colleges? The students have raised the question of whether

there is a need for activity in the university colleges as well as in the chaplaincy facilities. There are reps in each college but activity tends to be centralised, other than 2 Masses a term in colleges.



As part of our plan to develop the links between the chaplaincy and the parish, we have identified the advantages of involving the students with the local young people. The presence of such a large group of Catholic young people is a powerful witness to the young people of the parish, demonstrating that many young people choose to remain actively involved with the church. o Invite students to get involved with activities for our young people. Students can help to organise

events and attend to support the group o Students invite young people from St. Leonard’s to a Wednesday or Sunday evening Mass. Young

people have the chance to worship with and socialise with the student community. o Students to visit 6th Form at St. Leonard’s to talk about their involvement in the Chaplaincy. fr.

Ben already goes into the school to make people about to go to university aware of chaplaincy provision, and students could accompany him.

Communication for young people. We do not have any regular communications specifically developed by or for our young people. o Review format of bulletin – make website address more prominent, more pictures, colour. The

young people identified that these are all things which would make them more likely to read the bulletin

o Set up a page on the parish website for young people’s news, photos and notices. We need the young people to be actively involved in providing content.

o Young people to write news items of events they have been involved in We identified that part of the chaplaincy’s role is to prepare students to be actively involved and to take on leadership roles in their next parish, when they have left university. But they need support to do so, as they will find most parishes very different from the chaplaincy environment. o Offer mentoring and support for young people to become involved in a wide range of activities

including finance and buildings. This could offer different opportunities for getting involved, and be a useful thing for students to put on their CV.

o Chaplaincy: sessions at the end of the University year on ‘What next?’. The aim of these sessions is to help students think about their involvement in their next parish.

o Alumni to write for the website on how they have kept involved with the church after leaving university. This will provide practical encouragement and information for students as they move on.


b) The Consultation Process

Please describe the process used within your parish to consult widely with the community on your responses to this question. Please include the dates of meetings and other activities you have held, their purpose and the numbers attending. Thank you.

Date of meeting or other activity

Nature of activity (e.g. open parish meeting)

Purpose of meeting / activity Numbers

attending / participating

28/05/15

Parish Pastoral Council Overview / Introduction & DVD 20

07/06/15

Spoke at both Sunday Masses Introduction 358

26/06/15

Building Committee Data gathering section 8 7

30/06/15

Finance committee Data gathering sections 2 & 7 3

01/07/15

Open meeting Sections 1, 4, 5 14

15/07/15

Open meeting Sections 7, 8, 9 18

16/09/15

Open meeting Sections 2, 3, 6, 10 16

10/10/15

Meeting with young people Section 10 12

13/10/15

Liturgy & Music Committee Section 4 7

15/10/15

Chaplaincy open meeting All sections 7

05/11/15 Open meeting Thought and ideas and conclusions

11

June – November

Individual contributions (conversations, written, email)

26

June – November

Parish website, noticeboard and paper information sheets

Data from all meetings, and a summary of findings for each section published.

We expect to receive completed questionnaires by Advent (29 November 2015). We will then begin to

analyse all of the findings and be back in touch with every parish once this task has been completed.

Thank you so much for all your work and observations.

We hope this whole exercise has been fruitful and enlightening.

Please continue to pray for all those involved in the next stage of

Forward Together in Hope.


Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, Department for Development and Renewal Tel: (0191) 243 3304 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.hope.rcdhn.org.uk

©Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle – May 2015

Also available in other formats

parish questionnaire - mythic beasts · the questionnaire the questionnaire is presented in 3...

Documents